Lecture 43: Icy Worlds of the Outer Solar System Astronomy 161 - Introduction to Solar System Astronomy

Beyond the orbit of Neptune is the realm of the icy worlds, ranging in
size from Triton, the giant moon of Neptune, and the dwarf planets Pluto
and Eris, all the way down to the nuclei of comets. This lecture
discussed the icy bodies of the Trans-Neptunian regions of the Solar
System, discussing the basic properties of Triton (the best studied such
object), Pluto, Eris, and the Kuiper Belt, introducing the dynamical
families of Trans-Neptunian Objects that record in their orbits the slow
migration of Neptune outwards during the early history of the Solar
System. The Kuiper Belt is the icy analog of the main Asteroid Belt of
the inner Solar System: both are shaped by their gravitational
interaction with giant gas planets (Jupiter for the asteroids, Neptune
for the KBOs), and are composed of leftover raw materials from the
formation of their respective regions of the Solar System. Recorded
2006 Nov 28 in 100 Stillman Hall on the Columbus campus of The Ohio
State University.